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School opening - 4th January 2021
Sun 03 Jan 2021Happy New Year, and hopeful wishes for all our families!
Last year was an incredibly difficult one in lots of ways and for lots of reasons, but I am so proud to be part of a community that has pulled together, and chosen to be kind to each other during such an unsettling time. Whilst there is lots of good news to celebrate as we head into 2021; improved testing capability, increasing availability of vaccines, and more knowledge about how to keep as safe as possible, we still face lots of uncertainty. In the face of continued challenge, it is important to refocus on our principles as shared in September:
What went well in autumn term?
Although we had 5 incidences of bubble closure, all of these came from contacts outside school. We had no reports of pupils or staff who, after being sent home as part of a bubble, went on to develop symptoms or have a positive test.
What are our main challenges next week?
As I write (9pm on Saturday 2nd January 2021), I still expect to be opening as planned on Monday 4th January, but I need to make everyone aware that the Department of Education may still change their advice over the weekend. Professional organisations are also working on advice for their members. I appreciate that this is extremely unhelpful, and ask for your continued patience. The only thing that I can promise is that we will always have the best interests of our whole school community at heart. There is lots of conflicting information about the new variant Covid-19, and understandably, this is leading to increased concern amongst our school community.
How can we manage these challenges?
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School communication – we will inform you if the situation definitely changes. Please ensure that you keep up-to-date with emails from school and messages on Class Dojo as changes beyond my control may be at short notice.
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Family communication – please let us know as soon as possible if you have a member of your household who may have Covid-19 symptoms. If you have any concerns or are unsure about anything, please email and a member of staff will try to help.
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Additional safety measures in school (see below for detail)
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Contingency plans – please be prepared to have your child doing remote learning if required.
How can I help as a parent of a Frenchwood pupil?
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Each one of us needs to take responsibility for our safety and that of those around us – we sometimes forget about social distancing, and it’s up to us all to offer polite reminders when needed, both inside and outside school.
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Engage with Track and Trace if you have tested positive, and insist that members of your household follow the current guidance.
What about breakfast club and after school activities?
Breakfast club will operate as usual, taking into account our additional safety measures. Unfortunately, after school clubs are suspended for the week beginning 4th January 2021, pending further advice. We will restart these as soon as possible as it is particularly important for our children to be able to enjoy these enrichment activities. Children already booked for sessions will keep their places.
What additional measures will be in place?
In Key Stage 2:
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classes will be separate from each other – previously they operated as phase ‘bubbles’;
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desks will be arranged in pairs, facing the front of the class;
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children will remain in their places to reduce the number of contacts they make, and reduce the number of pupils sent home in the event of a positive test;
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adults will remain at least 2 metres away from each other and children, except for brief periods (for example when giving individual feedback), when they will be wearing protective visors;
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adults will cleanse hands when moving from one child to another;
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break times will be mainly indoors, with allocated outdoor sessions for each class;
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contact sports (football, basketball) will not take place until further advice has been received;
In EYFS and Key Stage 1:
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adults will ensure that they remain at least 2 metres from each other;
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adults will remain 2 metres away from children whenever this is reasonable, and where this cannot be guaranteed, will wear protective visors;
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adults will cleanse hands when moving between groups of pupils;
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adults will support children in maintaining high standards of hygiene
Across school:
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all staff will remain in their designated areas;
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staff will remain 2 metres away from each other at all times;
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those members of staff who are required to move across school as part of their jobs, will do so as infrequently as possible, for short periods, wearing protective masks/visors and cleanse hands often.
In what circumstances would my child not be able to attend school?
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If they or a member of their household needs to self-isolate due to a positive Covid test.
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If they are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, either in school or elsewhere.
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If school is instructed to close to pupils, other than those who are critical workers or have other reasons why it is important that they remain in school.
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If staffing levels are insufficient to provide a safe environment.
If school is closed due to local restrictions, my child would still need to attend
This is because I am a critical worker – please click here
My child needs to remain in school for other reasons – please click here
If my child is not in school, what will their remote learning look like?
Further Information
Information for parents and carers about schools reopening in January 2021
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Remote Learning at Frenchwood
Sat 02 Jan 2021Remote education provision: information for parents
For details of what to expect where individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.
Will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school?
We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects. For example, PE sessions do not follow the curriculum, but instead are intended to support pupils in remaining active and healthy during self-isolation or local restrictions.
Remote teaching and study time each day
How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?
We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:
EYFS
At least 3 hours
Key Stage 1
At least 3 hours
Key Stage 2
At least 4 hours
Accessing remote education
How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
- Links are made available each day on Class Dojo
- Links to regularly practise times tables or literacy skills are available on the website - https://www.frenchwood.lancs.sch.uk/curriculum-1/
If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
We recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:
- Supporting families in accessing affordable internet access (please contact the office if you are still having difficulty)
- Please complete this form if you need access to a laptop for learning, alternatively call the office and they will help you
Request a laptop for home learning
- For the few pupils requiring paper copies, these can be collected from school daily – appointment must be made to ensure access to the school office
- If using paper copies, please return daily when collecting the work for the subsequent day.
How will my child be taught remotely?
We use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely:
Daily ‘Sway’ documents are published daily on Class Dojo for classes required to work remotely. These documents link to:
- recorded teaching (usually video recordings made by teachers, but may also include links to other providers, e.g. The Oak National Academy);
- instructions for pupils to use exercise books sent home earlier in the term for the purpose of home learning (please request additional books from the class teacher as required);
- instructions for pupils to use textbooks and reading books that have been sent home previously or collected/delivered as required;
- commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences;
- for Key Stage 2 pupils, links to their MS Teams folders.
Occasionally there will be tutor sessions for small groups using MS Teams – KS2 only.
Engagement and feedback
What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
We all want to minimise the impact of not attending school. We ask that parents and carers:
- arrange for a quiet, comfortable place where their child can complete their learning each day;
- support their child to access additional materials – usually available in most homes (particularly in EYFS and KS1 where some practical tasks will be part of the learning)
- set routines to support their child in completing their learning – start at 8.55am if possible;
- support the school expectations that learning will take place daily, except for when pupils are ill (please let the school office know if your child is too ill to take part in home learning, as we record all incidences of sickness)
- contact class teacher with any concerns as soon as possible – most children should be able to complete tasks fairly independently.
During local restrictions (although not whilst self-isolating due to infection or close contact), any families who are unable to provide a quiet learning space, would be able to access a place in school.
How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
- Staff will be in contact via Class Dojo and telephone to check in on all learners.
Please note, if we have not had any response to phone calls or messages, two members of staff will make a home visit to ensure that all is well. For safeguarding reasons, we will take further steps if we are still unable contact families.
How will you assess my child’s work and progress?
Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:
- approval of all uploads to individual portfolios;
- additional comments to some portfolio uploads to encourage learners, praise their efforts, extend their responses, clarify misconceptions or ask for clarification;
- MS Forms – quizzes marked;
- telephone discussions.
Additional support for pupils with particular needs
How will you work with me to help my child who needs additional support from adults at home to access remote education?
We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We acknowledge the difficulties this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:
- Parents of pupils with additional needs have access to additional videos and support from our SEN team via Class Dojo - Sparrows
- Pupils with additional needs in Upper Key Stage 2 access specially created video content via Class Dojo – Secret Squirrels
Remote education for self-isolating pupils
Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote education is provided will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both at home and in school.
If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
Your child will always be able to access the regular practice elements of their online offer, e.g. TT Rockstars, Flash Academy, Read Write Inc. They will also be able to access videos on the school website that pre-recorded by staff.
The class ‘Sway’ will usually be available the day after lessons in school, so absent pupils will be slightly out-of-sync with the remaining learners.